Guide to Classic Car Terminology

Even the most seasoned car enthusiasts, don’t always see eye-to-eye when it comes to the terminology we use while enjoying our hobby. Here is our list of the most commonly used terms, but we may have missed some so don’t hesitate to let us know, just drop us a note at editor@classiccarrestorationclub.com and we’ll add it to the list.

NUMBERS

3-window: 2-door coupé; so named for one door window on each side plus the rear window.

5-window: 2-door coupé; so named for one door window and one quarter window on each side plus the rear window.

94s: “ninety-fours”: a reference to the model number of Holley carburetors.

97s: “ninety-sevens”: a reference to the model number of Stromberg carburetors.

“A”

A-400: A convertible two door sedan built by Ford prior to 1932

A-Bomb: Any Model A Ford that has been modified

A-bone: Model A Ford – 1928-1931

A-Pillar: The side windshield post on most cars

Alky: Alcohol fuel used for racing, including methanol or methyl alcohol.

Antique: It all depends on whom you ask. Generally it’s used to mean a car that’s 25 to 30 years old or older, but hobbyists, car clubs, licensing bureaus and insurance companies are all free to set their own meaning of the term. As with the term “classic”, there is no single set-in-stone definition.

Appletons: Fender-mounted spotlights, named for the manufacturer.

“B”

B-400: A convertible two door sedan built by Ford in 1932

B-Pillar: The post between the front and back seat areas on cars. Hardtop models have this removed.

Baby HEMI: Any early HEMI engine, which was produced by Chrysler’s Dodge and DeSoto divisions and had smaller dimensions and displacement than Chrysler’s other HEMI offerings.

Baby Moons: Small, chromed hubcaps that only cover the center of the wheel.

Banger: A slang term used to express the number of cylinders in an engine (four-banger = four-cylinder, etc.).

Banjo: An early style rear-end that resembles the shape of a banjo.

Barn Find: Any vehicle that was stored away in a barn or similar structure for an extensive period of time and then found and restored.

Barn-fresh: A vehicle, usually an older antique, that is in unrestored condition, looking as if it had just been pulled out of long storage in a barn. It is becoming increasingly popular to restore the mechanics of such vehicles to safe working condition, but to leave the body and interior in this shape, as it documents the car’s original appearance.

Basket Case: Any vehicle that was completely disassembled–or needs to be completely disassembled for restoration or modification purposes. (Referred to as basket case because the process often involves gathering and collecting small parts in a basket over a long period of time)

Beach Wagon: A term for a station wagon

Beam Axle: Any automotive front axle featuring the cross-sectional shape of an I-beam.

Belly Pan: Metal sheeting underneath a street rod, to streamline the bottom of a rod

Beltline: The line running around a car’s body formed by the bottom edges of the side windows.

Big ‘n Littles: A hot rod or dragster tire combination which employs large rear tires for traction and small front tires for reduced rolling resistance.

Bondo: Brand name for a body filler, often used as a generic term for any such product.

Bone-stock: An original, unmodified car.

Boost: Intake manifold pressure generated by a Turbocharger or Supercharger

Bored and Stroked: Engines that have had their cylinder walls enlarged and the crankshaft throw modified

Bottom End: Refers to the lower portion of a engine and usually includes the crankshaft, flywheel, bearings and connecting rods

Bottom out: When the car’s chassis hits the end of its suspension travel.

Bonnet: The hood over the front engine, often used with European cars.

Box: The transmission, but can also refer to adding reinforcement to the frame

Brougham: An early motoring term signifying a closed car for two or four persons.

Bucket: Rod with a Model T body also called a ‘Bucket T’

Buggy Sprung: Suspension based on front and rear solid axels and left over from horse and buggy days

Bull Nose: Usually refers to a chrome trim piece for the top of a hood

Bullet Nose: A Studebaker built in the late 40’s and early 50’s

Bullets: Chromed, bullet-shaped extensions used on bumpers, grilles, and wheels.

Bumpstick: Slang for camshaft.

Business Coupe: A simple two-door coupe, without a rumble seat, built in the mid- to late-thirties. (Also referred to as a Businessman’s Coupe).

“C”

C-Pillar: The rear pillar of the roof support structure.

Cabriolet: A convertible with windows.

California Top: a fixed rigid top applied to a touring car, replacing the regular folding top.

Cam: Short for Camshaft, a engine piece that activates the valves

Cammer: Usually refers to a single overhead V8 Ford engine

Carson Top: a solid, removable roof that is covered with a soft material.

CC-ing: The accurate measuring of each cylinder or combustion chamber to equalize the volume in high performance engines

CCs: 39 Ford Teardrop Headlights

Channeled: Cutting the floor so the body rests around the frame rails rather than sitting on top of the frame. This gives an overall lowered appearance.

Cherry: Like new

Chop/Chopped: Removing a section of the roofline horizontally to reduce its height

CID: Refers to “Cubic Inch Displacement” of an engine

Classic: As with the term “antique”, there is no single definition accepted by all hobbyists, car clubs, licensing bureaus or insurance companies. Some people use the term to describe a car that falls somewhere between their definition of “antique” and a brand-new car. Others use it to describe specific models — for example, the 1955-1956-1957 Chevrolets are often called the “Classic Chevys”. The Classic Car Club of America has trademarked the term “Full Classic” to describe a car that’s on its list of acceptable classics..

Club Coupe: A two-door closed car with rear seat.

Coach: A two-door sedan.

Concours d’elegance: A car show, usually open only to higher-end or luxury antique automobiles, held in a lush setting such as a country club. The literal translation is “contest of elegance”.

Convertible: An open-top car with a folding roof and side windows.

Coupe: A closed car with two doors and a smaller interior than a sedan.

Crash Box: A transmission that has no synchromesh. This type of transmission must be double-clutched to reduce wear.

Crate Engine: A factory-built, ready to run engine.

Crank: Crankshaft but can also mean to go fast “Crank on It” or to simply turn the motor over.

Cruise: To drive in a laid back fashion

Custom: Stock cars that have had extensive body modifications

Cutting Coils: A method of lowering a car’s ride height by cutting out sections of the coil springs.

Cycle Fenders: Usually a front and sometimes rear fender similar to that used on a bicycle, which follows the curvature of the wheel

“D”

Dagmars: A styling element conceived of by GM Vice President of Design, Harley Earl, to resemble artillery shells on the front bumper of cars. They were added to give the cars an element to denote speed and power during the 1950s. However, car enthusiasts saw other similarities and soon referred to them as “Dagmars”, in reference to their resemblance to a well-endowed film and television personality of the 50s.

Dago: A dropped front-end.

Deck/Decked: Removing the chrome and handles from the trunk or ‘Decklid’

Deuce: 1932 Ford

Digs: Drag Races

Dig Out: Accelerate quickly

Digger: A Dragster

Dog leg: The corner of a wraparound windshield on a 1950s car. It’s a multi-purpose term, and is also used to describe, among other things, the rear door jamb on the back door of a sedan, a sharp turn on a race course, or a manual transmission where first to second gear is an up-and-over movement of the shifter.

Donor Car: A vehicle used to provide parts and hardware for another project vehicle.

Double clutching: A technique used with older manual transmissions that do not have synchronizers (a “crash box” transmission). The driver puts in the clutch, moves the shifter into neutral, releases the clutch, and then puts the clutch back in and shifts to the next gear. This extra step allows the engine speed to match the speed of the gears, so the shift is smoother and prevents excess wear on the transmission.

Dropped: A significantly lowered vehicle.

Dropped axle: A special front axle with its wheel spindles higher in relation to the height of the axle than in a stock unit. The result is a lower ride height.

Dual Quad: Two four-barrel carburetors.

Dutchman Panel: The metal body piece between the rear window and the trunk.

Duval Windshield: A split V-shaped raked chrome-plated windshield designed by George DuVall

“E”

EFI: Electronic Fuel Injection (replaces the carburetor)

E.T: Elapsed time – the time it takes to run a quarter mile drag

Elephant: A term used to describe the 426ci. Hemi used in 1964 or later Chrysler Corporation Cars

“F”

Fastback: A car design where the roofline continues in a single curve from the windshield to the rear bumper.

Fender Skirts: Body panels that cover the rear wheelwells.

Fill: Filling body seams with lead or body filler to lend a smoother appearance to the car

Filled Roof: A roof that has a welded steel panel instead of the original wood-and-fabric insert.

Flamed: Graphic representation of flames usually starting at the front a working towards the back of a hot rod

Flame Throwers: A device to ignite unburned gases leaving the exhaust system

Flathead: An L-head or side-valve engine, including the highly popular Ford Flathead built between 1932 and 1953.

Flatty: See Flathead

Floor Pan: This just means the floor of a vehicle

Flopper: Drag racing slang for a Funny Car.

Fordor: Ford name for a four-door sedan

Four Banger: A four-cylinder engine

Four Barrel: A four-cylinder engine or a type of carburetor

Four on the Floor: Floor mounted shifter coupled to a four-speed transmission

Frame-off Restoration: a restoration project in which the entire vehicle is completely disassembled with all parts cleaned or replaced as necessary, so that the restored car meets the original factory specifications as closely as possible.

Frame-Up Restoration: Not as detailed as a frame-off restoration, this process involves restoring the paint, chrome, interior, and mechanicals to original specifications without complete disassembly of the car.

French: Usually refers to recessing the headlights and removing the seam of the headlight trim ring, but can apply to other recessing

Front Clip: Either the front-end sheet metal or the section of frame in front of the firewall.

Fuel Injected: A mechanical device that ‘injects’ or introduces fuel into a engine

Full-race: High-performance flatty cams, suitable only for strip use.

“G”

Gasser: Car used in gasoline-only drag racing classes in the 1960s (as opposed to alcohol or nitromethane fuels), where the front end of the car is raised along with the motor. Characterized by a body that sits well above the front wheels. Distinct from hiboy

Gear Box: Transmission

Gennie — Genuine

Ghost Flames: See Flamed, only these flames are usually the same color as the body only a few shades lighter or darker

Lean it Out: To alter the fuel mixture to improve engine performance and use less fuel – done to extreme will fry your engine

Locker: A type of differential that helps prevent tire spin and distributes the engines torque evenly to the rear wheels

Long block: A replacement engine including the crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, heads and head gaskets.

Loud Pedal: The accelerator pedal

Louvers: Vents or slots cut in and raised in various body panels especially the hood and trunk areas

Louie: A left hand turn (see Roscoe)

Lowboy: A rod that has no fenders or running boards that is lowered over the frame (channeled)

Lowered: A vehicle that sits lower than stock height through suspension or frame modifications.

Lowrider: A vehicle that has been lowered by a hydraulic suspension system that can bring the ride height up in order to drive it.

“M”

Mag: Short for a wheel made with a Magnesium alloy – can also mean Magneto, a self contained ignition system

Matching Numbers: A restored or original vehicle in which all serial numbers (VIN, engine, body, transmission, rear end) can be researched and identified as being 100 percent correct for that specific vehicle.

Mother-in-Law Seat: a single seat attached to the back of a two-seater car. The forerunner of the rumble seat.

Mountain motor: Large-displacement engine. Named for their size, and for being constructed in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. In organized automotive competition, the term commonly references a V8 engine displacing more than 500 cubic inches; informally, a V8 engine displacing more than 560 cubic inches.

Mouse Motor: A small block Chevy engine manufactured from 1955 to present day.

Muscle Car: A North American intermediate or mid-sized car produced between 1964 and 1972 (with a few exceptions) with a large displacement V8 engine.

“N”

Nail Head: 1950s-60s Buick V8 engine

NOS: Nitrous Oxide System – mucho big horsepower

N.O.S: New Old Stock and refers to parts that are the original parts supplied by the vehicles manufacturer

Nerf: Short for Nerf Bars – used to ward off tires in open wheel racing cars – also refers to little bumperettes

Newstalgia: Refers to a rod style that mimics the 50’s and 60’s and employs modern power plants, components and body panels

Nosed: Chrome details and trim removed from the hood and smoothed over.

“O”

Overbore: An engine block that has had its cylinder bore enlarge because it is badly worn or the owner wants more power

Overwind: A bad thing and means to run an engine faster in RPM then its designed limits

Original: contains only parts originally installed on the car or NOS parts from the manufacturer with no substitute or aftermarket parts.

“P”

Pancaked: Hood modified to a lower profile.

Panel Delivery: An early commercial vehicle with two doors in the front for people and two doors at the rear of the vehicle for cargo

Peaked: A molded accent seam on a hood.

Pearl: Paint with reflects ‘Mother of Pearl’ iridescent colors or maybe its a little white object taken from an oyster

Phaeton: An open two or four door sedan manufactured in the late 20’s to the late 30’s, that had no roll up windows

Phone Booth: A 28 or 29 Model ‘A’ closed cab pickup

Pin Stripe: Long narrow painted stripes usually running the length of a hot rod. May also be done with narrow plastic (gulp) tape.

Pinched: To narrow the front frame to match the grill shell.

Pink Slip: Before the days of automobile titles, the portion of a California car registration that conveyed ownership was colored pink.

Piped: Narrow, padded pleats used to trim the interior.

Pit Pins: Quick release pins that hold body panels in place

Pony Car: A small, compact performance-oriented vehicle, named for the first of it’s type the Mustang.

Ported: Intake and exhaust ports that have been enlarged and polished to provide maximum flow through the heads

Post: The pillar located behind the front door on sedans.

Power Parker: People that arrive as early as possible to events and shows to get prime parking spots, usually frowned on by hot rodders

Powerplant: Slang for an internal combustion engine.

Pro Street: A hotrod made to look like a drag racing car

Project Car: A vehicle that is in restorable condition.

Puffer: A supercharger

Puke Can: A radiator overflow tank used to catch coolant.

“Q”

Quarter Window: The side window behind the rear door

Quick Change: A rear end that allows for rapid changing of rear end gear ratios

“R”

RPM: ‘Revolutions Per Minute’ or how many rotations an engines crankshaft completes in one minute

Rails: Refers to the frame side rails on cars

Raked: A rod that has been lowered in the front or raised in the back

Rat: A Big Block Chevy V8 engine e.g.: 396, 400, 427, and 454 cid

Rat Rod: A style of hot rod that imitates the early rods of the 1940s-60’s, featuring an unfinished, rough, or patina appearance

Replicar: A completed reproduction of an existing automotive design.

Reacher: A dependable street rod

Repop: See Repro

Repro: Reproduction parts to match or replace NOS parts

Resto Rod: A street rod with a stock appearing body

Restored: To return a car to its original showroom condition.

Roadster: A two seater to a ‘Phaeton’ – removable top and no roll up side windows and the windshield could fold down

Rockcrusher — Muncie M22 4-speed transmission so called because of the audible differences in operation between the model M-22 and its lower strength but quieter cousin, the M-21.

Rocket — Oldsmobile, in particular their early V8s.

Rod: A short for Hotrod or Connecting Rod

Roll Bar: A special cage made of round tubular steel and designed to protect the vehicles occupants in case of roll over.

Roll Cage: See Roll Bar

Roll Pan: Smoothed out panel that replaces the bumper and rolls back under the vehicle.

Split Window: Usually referring to the rear window, this window has two planes of glass with bodywork in between.

Spots: Short for a spot light, also refers to disk brakes

Stacks: Short for Velocity Stacks which are used on carbureted and fuel injected engines

Steelies: Solid, stamped-steel wheels.

Step Plates: Pads mounted on running boards or fenders to keep the paint or rubber matting from becoming scratched or dirty

Stick Shift: A floor mounted gear shift lever

Stove Bolt: A six-cylinder Chevrolet engine, introduced for 1929; the basic design was used in cars until the 1960s, and as long as the 1980s in some trucks. Also called the “Cast Iron Wonder”, it got the name from its bolts, which resembled those used on stoves.

Strangler: Slang for a carburetor choke.

Street Machine: A street-legal modified car or truck built in 1949 or later.

Street Rod: A street-legal modified car or truck built in 1948 or earlier.

Stretched: A vehicle with a body that has been stretched to lengthen the overall size of the vehicle or to accommodate

Stroker: An engine equipped with a longer then stock crankshaft throw with modified length connecting rods

Stuffer: Supercharger

Suede: Primer

Suicide Door: A door that hinges at the rear.

Supercharger: A mechanical device designed to force air into an engine at higher then atmospheric pressure

Survivor: An original, unrestored, unmolested antique car that is in good enough condition to be used as a model for the restoration of a similar car.

“T”

T-Bucket: A short, fenderless opened Model ‘T’ body hotrod

TPI: Tuned Port Injection

Tach: Short for Tachometer and a device to read engine RPM

Teardrops: 1939 Ford taillights, which have become very popular on custom hot rods.

Three On The Tree: Refers to a column mounted three speed transmission shifter

Touring: See ‘Phaeton’

Track T: Model T roadster built in the style of a dirt track race car.

Trad Rad: A street rod built in the styles of the 50’s and 60’s rods

Tranny: Short for Transmission

Trailer Queen: Derogatory term referring to a car that is shown frequently yet rarely driven.

Tri-Five: Nickname for 1955-57 Chevrolets

Tri-Power: An engine with three two-barrel carburetors.

Tub: A touring car or Phaeton can also refer to enlarging the wheel well size to accommodate very large tires, usually in the rear

Tubbed: To increase the wheel well size to accommodate very large tires usually at the rear axel

Tudor: Ford name for a two door sedan

Tuck and Roll: A cool style of upholstery or a new kind of music

Turnkey: A completely finished hot rod built by a professional shop and requiring no additional work.

“U”

U Joints: Short for Universal Joints and these are located on each end of a drive shaft

Uncorked: Running without mufflers

“V”

V-Butt: When the center windshield strip is removed on cars of the 30s and 40s and the glass is cut so it butts together.

Vicky: See Victoria

Victoria: A sporty two-door sedan body that featured a different rear body panel style

VIN Vehicle Identification Number: The vehicle serial number that is stamped onto the vehicle, usually under the windshield post, the driver’s door post, or on the firewall.

Vintage: A vehicle built between 1915 and 1942 in stock or unmodified condition.

“W”

W-head: A nickname for the General Motors W series engine 348-409 cubic inch, manufactured circa 1958-1964.

Wedge: A type of Chrysler engine with wedge shaped combustion chambers in the heads

Wheelie Bars: Rods that extend from the back of a car and are connected to wheels to help keep the car from flipping backwards during sudden acceleration.

Wraparound windshield: A 1950s styling cue where the windshield glass was curved into a relatively sharp angle, with the edges protruding past the hinges on the front door. The point is commonly known as the dogleg. Most owners of these cars go through a learning curve when it comes to getting into the car, since it’s very easy to bang your knee against the dogleg.

Wrinkle walls — Drag racing slicks.

“X”

X Member: The center portion of a frame where the frame rails meet or cross

“Y”

Y-Block: A cylinder block with deep pan rails, commonly used with Ford’s replacement to the Flathead

“Z”

Z’ed: Frame rails altered in a Z shape to lower the front of a hot rod

Zoomies: Open headers that exit at the side of a vehicle and are pointed upward.

Good catch Walt, Not sure how we missed that one! We’ll definitely add it to the list.
Until we get it updated, here is the definition:

Dagmars: A styling element conceived of by GM Vice President of Design, Harley Earl, to resemble artillery shells on the front bumper of cars. They were added to give the cars an element to denote speed and power during the 1950s. However, car enthusiasts saw other similarities and soon referred to them as “Dagmars”, in reference to their resemblance to a well-endowed film and television personality of the 50s.

Technically no! By definition the “Muscle Car” was a Mid-Size 2-door sedan with a large performance engine. The term is often thrown around loosely, and even owners of Mustangs, Cougars, Camaros, Firebirds, Challengers and Cudas, like to claim they have muscle cars although technically these cars are considered “Pony” cars by definition.

What was the first Muscle Car? Opinions differ widely. Some argue the ’64 Pontiac GTO was the first, while others make the case for the ’49 Oldsmobile Rocket 88, yet others maintain the ’55 Chrysler 300-C was the first. Regardless, after World War II, the American car-buying public yearned for more power in their cars and Detroit answered with some amazing solutions. From the end of the war until 1970 the auto manufacturers were strongly engaged in a horsepower war, after 1970 high insurance prices and fuel shortages combined to take their toll on the need for speed. Only in recent years has the evolution of drivetrain technology allowed manufacturers to once again engage in an all-out performance war.

While your ’67 C10 is not a “Muscle Car”, it is an American built truck of the muscle car era, and many of the BIG horsepower improvements found their way into all of the product offerings.

I have heard some claim ALL Chrysler Hemi Engines are nicknamed “Elephants”, while others refer to the 50s Chrysler Hemi’s as “Whales” or “Whale Motors”.

Perhaps the Whale name was used paying homage to the finned cars that carried them.

The 1950s Dodge Red Ram, and DeSoto Firedome/Fireflite Hemi’s were often refferred to as “Baby Hemi’s.

Wrench Safe,
Mark CCRC Video Membership

We’d love to have you be a part of our community. We are convinced you will enjoy the benefits of becoming a member and having access to the best instructional how to videos and professional tips. We would like to offer you a special promotion for your first year membership.http://go.ClassicCarRestorationClub.com/C10563

I rarely comment on forums, but a couple of these irritate the hell out of me. I’ve been in this hobby for close to 40 years and own a restoration shop.
FRAME OFF RESTORATION – there is no such thing. When some one makes that comment, my question to them is “so, what do you take the frame off of?” I always get that dumbfounded look. That’s right, the body comes off the frame, not the other way around. And, how do you do a “frame off” on a Camaro or a Charger?
It is correctly referred to a “body-off” restoration.
MATCHING NUMBERS – the most abused term in the hobby. There are a few exceptions (Corvettes, Impalas, Mustangs, etc), but previous to 1968 there are no matching number cars. 1968 was when the government started requiring the car manufacturers to stamp the corresponding VIN numbers on the components. So you won’t find the VIN stamped on a ’66 GTO for example. I’ve heard the argument that it’s not just the VIN, it’s having the correct date code or casting numbers. While that’s important, it’s not a number that can be matched to the vehicle’s VIN confirming that that engine is the exact one this car left the factory with.
OK, I’m done…I feel better now!

There’s another definition of “brougham”; it’s a ’70s/80s luxury car or high trim level mass-market car, originally aimed at “mature, traditional” buyers and equipped with features like loose-pillow-effect velour seats, vinyl top, fake wire wheel covers, fake wood interior trim. Often (but not always) the trim level was actually called “Brougham” which was used by all American makes as it was never trademarked.

Traditionally, M was used as the symbol for thousands and MM for millions. However, over time the growing tendency became to use K as the symbol for thousands instead of M.

The roman numeral for 1,000 is M

Some vintage tachometers used the M symbol, and it can be a good way to detect an original old tachometer.

Hope this helps,

Mark
Classic Car Restoration Club Video Membership

We’d love to have you be a part of our community. We are convinced you will enjoy the benefits of becoming a member and having access to the best instructional how to videos and professional tips. We would like to offer you a special promotion for your first year membership. https://go.ClassicCarRestorationClub.com/C13211